22 April 2024 ushered in the 55th Earth Day. Building a Beautiful China for Common Prosperity by Practicing the Concept of Two Mountains - the 55th Earth Day Conference was held in Nanxun, Huzhou. This conference was hosted by the Research Think Tank Alliance on the Concept that “Clear waters and green mountains are as good as  mountains of gold and silver” (referred to as the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance), organized by the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory and Huzhou University Base of the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and assisted by the China Development Forum, the “National Innovation Alliance of Forestry for Common Prosperity Yangtze River Delta (Preparation)” of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Special Committee on Theory and Standards of China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, Nanxun Qiangcun Fumin Development Group Co., Ltd.

　　Attending the conference are: Zhou Jian (former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Liu Qingsong (Vice President of China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association and President of the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance), Chang Jiwen (Deputy Director of the Institute for Resources and Environmental Policies, Development Research Center of the State Council), Zhang Yuanlin (tenured professor of Kean University), Song Hongyuan (former Director of the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Huan Qingzhi (Director of the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, Peking University), Niu Xiping (Vice President of the International Confucian Association), Gu Yikang (Senior Consultant of the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory of Huzhou University, member of the Consulting Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government), Qin Zunwen (member of the Consulting Committee of Hubei Provincial People’s Government, Secretary of the Think Tank Alliance for Promoting High-quality Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt), and Jin Peihua (Party Secretary of Huzhou University and Executive Director of the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance). John Boswell Cobb Jr. (founder of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China and academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) made a video speech.

　　More than 100 representatives attended the conference, including  members from the Development Research Center of the State Council, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, International Confucian Association, China National Light Industry Council, China Forestry Industry Federation, International Ecological Protection Promotion Association, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Forestry University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huzhou University, the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance, the “National Innovation Alliance of Forestry for Common Prosperity Yangtze River Delta （Preparation）” of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the Think Tank Alliance for Promoting High-quality Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

　　The conference is themed “Building a Beautiful China for Common Prosperity by Practicing the Concept of Two Mountains”, marking the 55th Earth Day. The participating experts conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as building ecological civilization, the “Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation” project, realizing the value of ecological products, transformation of “Two Mountains” theory and building a beautiful China, green and low-carbon innovative practices and sustainable development, new quality productive forces and regional high-quality development.

　　The opening ceremony was presided over by Liu Qingsong. On behalf of the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance, the organizer of the conference, Liu extended a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to the attending leaders, experts and guests.

　　Academician John Boswell Cobb Jr. thanked the organizer for the invitation in the video. He showed that this event was a great way to celebrate the Earth Day. He has visited China many times in recent years and witnessed great changes and progress in building ecological civilization in China. China has shown the world how to move towards ecological civilization and seek a community of interests for all living creatures, and many countries and people will follow in a grateful manner. If there is one country in the world that can lead human beings to an organic ecological civilization, it is China.

　　Zhou Jian pointed out in his speech that it was of great significance to hold such an event in Huzhou, the birthplace of the concept of “Two Mountains”, on the 55th Earth Day. In the process of building ecological civilization, we must stay committed to supporting and coordinating high-quality economic and social development with high-level protection of the ecological environment. In addition, by fully understanding the resilience and potential of China’s economic and social development and the basic trend of long-term stability and improvement, we need to maintain the focus of promoting ecological civilization. What’s more, it was also important to effectively maintain, consolidate and give full play to the global comparative advantages in major fields in order to achieve integrated and coordinated development in economy, politics, culture, society and ecology. We must also take the situation into consideration objectively and carefully draw on historical experience. In so doing, we can focus our efforts on six areas.

　　In his speech, Jin Peihua said, Huzhou University, which is located in the place where the concept of “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets” was born, would resolutely fulfill its political responsibility and gather the strength of the whole university to carry out scientific research on major theoretical and practical issues based on the concept of “Two Mountains”. In recent years, Huzhou University has got approved to establish provincial platforms under the support of the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory, the new university think tank alliance in Zhejiang Province, including the “National Innovation Alliance of Forestry for Common Prosperity Yangtze River Delta （Preparation）” of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Huzhou University Base of the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The university also took the lead to establish the international “Two Mountains” Tink Tank Alliance and held two Huzhou Forums on the Research of “Two Mountains” Theory, with increasing social influence. On the occasion of the 55th Earth Day and the release of the “Regulations on the Promotion of the Construction of Huzhou Ecological Civilization Model City” in Beijing, focusing on ecological environment protection, sustainable development, green city building and biodiversity, experts and scholars in China and beyond carried in-depth discussions on how to practice the concept of “Two Mountains”, build a beautiful China, and promote common prosperity. These activities hold important theoretical significance and practical value to systematically build knowledge system, theory system, discipline system and discourse system of the “Two Mountains” theory with Chinese characteristics, and comprehensively explore the institutional mechanism and policy system featuring ecology first, green development and common prosperity.

　　At the opening ceremony, Nanxun District was approved as the “Two Mountains” innovative practice research base by the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance. It is reported that Nanxun District is the national ecological civilization demonstration zone, national ecological zone, national top 100 zone in green development, provincial ecological civilization demonstration zone, and provincial beautiful countryside demonstration zone in the new era. It has always stayed committed to the concept of “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets”, acted on the principle of “Beautiful China, Dynamic Huzhou”, followed the theme of building a model city of ecological civilization, focused on green transformation of ecology, production and life, and actively explored innovative moves.

　　In the keynote speeches, six experts and scholars have made wonderful academic reports: 1) Chang Jiwen (Deputy Director of the Institute for Resources and Environmental Policies, Development Research Center of the State Council) gave a report entitled “The Transformation of China’s Ecological Civilization Policy and Legal System”; 2) Song Hongyuan (former Director of the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) made a report entitled “Learning from the ‘Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation’ project to Promote Rural Development”; 3) Niu Xiping (Vice President of  International Confucian Association) made a report entitled “Explaining the Cultural Meaning of the Concept of ‘Two Mountains’ and Stimulating the Internal Driving Force of Ecological Protection”; 4) Huan Qingzhi (Director of the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, Peking University) made a report entitled “The Ecological Approach to the Protection of China’s Historical and Cultural Cities and Its Effectiveness and Challenges”; 5) Gu Yikang (Senior Consultant of the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory of Huzhou University, member of the Consulting Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government) made a report entitled “Rural Operation Opens a New Era of Comprehensive Rural Revitalization”; 6) Qin Zunwen (member of the Consulting Committee of Hubei Provincial People’s Government, Secretary of the Think Tank Alliance for Promoting High-quality Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt) made a report entitled “Classification of Ecological Products and Their Value Realization”. In the parallel sessions, experts and scholars carried out special discussions and exchanges on three topics: transformation of “Two Mountains” Theory and building a beautiful China, green and low-carbon innovative practices and sustainable development, new quality productive forces and regional high-quality development.

　　During the event, the 5th council meeting of the 1st “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance Conference --- Nanxun Development Forum, and Senior Advisor and Academic Committee Meeting of the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory --- was also held.

　　Initiated by the Institute of “Two Mountains” Theory of Huzhou University, the Research Think Tank Alliance on the Concept of Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets (referred to as the “Two Mountains” Think Tank Alliance), takes root in Huzhou, the birthplace and pioneer of the concept of “Two Mountains”. It is an unincorporated academic community jointly established by research institutions, enterprises, institutions and organizations in China and beyond engaged in the concept of “Two Mountains” and green development, environmental protection and ecological civilization construction, biodiversity and sustainable development. At present, its well-known members include Sharaf Foundation for Sustainable Development, the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University. It aims to carry studies on the concept of “Two Mountains”, plan for green development, serve ecological civilization, promote common prosperity, focus on the major theoretical and practical issues of the concept of “Two Mountains”, ecological civilization construction and green development, and work on theoretical research, political advice, social services, personnel training, and international exchanges, striving to become a new type of global high-end think tank alliance with Chinese characteristics.

　　As the model of the concept of “Two Mountains”, the Institutre of “Two Mountains” Theory of Huzhou University has been a leading position in the studies of the concept of “Two Mountains”. It is endeavoring to build a key think tank that combines theoretical research and practical moves in terms of Chinese modernization, beautiful China construction, rural revitalization, new quality productive forces, and regional ecological civilization construction, and stand at the forefront in various areas.